Surface Vessels
Gallery: HMS Queen Elizabeth underway
Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth put to sea on Monday for the first time to start sea trials off the coast of Scotland. In a delicate operation lasting nearly four hours, HMS Queen Elizabeth moved from the basin at Rosyth where she has been under construction since 2014, and into th
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth setting sail
Future Royal Navy flagship and the largest warship ever built for the UK, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, is set to depart the Rosyth dockyard on Monday after eight years of construction. As the first of two ships in her class, HMS Queen Elizabeth is looking forward to two years of sea trials with the firs
Spanish F100 frigate concludes NATO SNMG2 stint
Spanish Navy’s Aegis-equipped frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo has concluded her deployment to NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) and is scheduled to arrive at her home port in Ferrol, Spain, next Saturday. During her deployment, the F100 frigate served as flagship of the Sub-Group TU.02 opera
UK MoD contracts Leonardo for identification friend or foe systems delivery
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Leonardo a £260 million contract for the supply of next generation Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) technology. The system, called Mode-5, uses advanced cryptographic techniques and electronic technology to allow UK land, sea and air units to quickly identify frien
Spanish frigate wraps up four months of Aegis training with Australian Navy
Spanish Navy’s F-105 frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón is on her way home after she spent the last four months stationed in Australia helping Royal Australian Navy sailors get acquainted with the Aegis combat system. During her time embedded with the Royal Australian Navy fleet she welcomed more than 200
Airbus starts autonomous flights of VSR700 Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV)
Starting autonomous flight trials of its VSR700 Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) demonstrator, Airbus Helicopters has come a step closer to the first flight of the actual VSR700 prototype in 2018. A light military rotary-wing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle, the VSR700 is being developed jointly by
Royal Navy minehunter starts sea trials after 18-month refit
Royal Navy’s Hunt-class mine counter measure vessel HMS Brocklesby has started her sea trials after spending 18 months in refit. According to shipbuilder BAE Systems, the trials started four months earlier than usual. Despite undergoing the largest work package for a Royal Navy mine countermeasure v
Spanish frigate ESPS Victoria deploys to operation Sophia
Spanish Navy frigate Victoria departed Rota Naval Base on June 18 setting sail for Italy where she will integrate into operation Sophia to help fight human trafficking in the Mediterranean Sea. The F-80 frigate is scheduled to be part of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) from mid-June to mid
Russia’s first Project 20385 corvette Gremyashchy ready for June 30 launch
The lead ship of Russian Navy’s new Project 20385 corvettes, Gremyashchy, was rolled out of the factory hall and placed on the open slipway ahead of her launch on June 30. The Severnaya Verf shipyard rolled out the corvette on June 19 and is yet to assemble her topmast and underwater parts. Designed
BALTOPS 2017 concludes
Some 50 ships from 14 nations concluded this year’s edition of BALTOPS 2017, the largest NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea, entering Kiel, Germany on Friday. The U.S.-led drill saw participants hone their skills in air, surface, sub-surface, mine warfare and amphibious operations in the Baltic Sea. “E
Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth gets “official tug”
SD Tempest, a tug operated by Serco, will become the “official tug” of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth once she arrives at Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth this year. SD Tempest, named in late May, has been specifically procured to support the arrival of HMS Queen
Spanish offshore patrol vessel Vigía returns from Gulf of Guinea deployment
Spanish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel Vigía arrived at naval base Puntales, Cadiz, on June 16, returning from a three-and-a-half month mission to the Gulf of Guinea. Vigía set sail from Cadiz on February 28 to conduct a series of activities in Africa as part of the Spanish government’s Defense Diplo
Overhauled Royal Navy frigate receives her embarked Merlin Mk2 helicopter
After completing two-year overhaul in Portsmouth, Royal Navy frigate HMS Westminster has trained with a number of Merlin Mk2 helicopters during her preparations to return to the fleet. The Type 23 frigate now has her own embarked Merlin, however, named Gatekeeper – for guardian to underworld from Gh
Pakistan orders offshore patrol vessel from Damen
Pakistan’s defense ministry has signed a contract with Dutch ship designer Damen for the acquisition of a locally-built offshore patrol vessel (OPV). The contract was signed on June 12 during an event attended by navy and company representatives and Dutch ambassador to Pakistan Jeannette Seppen. Acc